After Hours
by lady bundtcake
Summary: Zoisite has a bad day. Fortunately, his lover's arms are always open to take him in. This is just a silly fluffy story.


Some Kinda Author-Type Notes:  
  
I based this as sort of "the evening after the Tuxedo Melvin incident", but unfortunately it's been a while since I've actually seen the episode, so pardon any goofs or glitches in reference to the episode's events. I also can't spell whatever the hoo-hah those rainbow crystals are called in Japanese, and like a goose, I didn't bother to go look it up. Oops. :) Anyway, this is mostly just fluff for fluff's sake, because Zoisite and Kunzite are the fluffiest of lovers in all of Sailor Moon. Or so I choose to believe.  
  
----  
  
AFTER HOURS  
  
It had been a long day.  
  
Zoisite had spent the entire previous night on into the morning plotting on how to get the yellow crystal from the sailor senshi. He hadn't even shown up in Kunzite's bedchamber that evening, much to his personal dismay (and, he hoped privately, to Kunzite's also). Finally, after working his plan out to perfection just as somewhere far away the dawn began to creep over Tokyo, he knew his scheme was foolproof. He would use Nephrite's old "flame" Osaka Naru, Zoisite thought, unable to restrain from grinning at the memory of his predecessor's downfall. Zoisite would lure the senshi and force them to give up the yellow crystal for Naru's sake.  
  
It seemed perfect, but unfortunately it did not go over as smoothly as Zoisite would have liked.  
  
First, what seemed like intervention of some sort of deus ex machina took place, causing Naru to bend down to pick something up at the precise moment Zoisite took aim and let go at her. Zoisite had groaned inwardly, running his hand nervously through his hair and trying to reorganize his thoughts. Then, just as he had Sailormoon cornered, just as she placed the crystal in his hand, that blasted Tuxedo Kamen appeared out of nowhere and rapped Zoisite hard across the knuckles with his cane, causing him to drop the stupid thing.  
  
And Zoisite would have dearly longed to set Kamen on fire right then and there, because quite frankly he had had it up to his neck with Kamen slapping him around and otherwise maiming his soft hands.  
  
Of course, Zoisite did what he did best, and fought dirty; he eluded Kamen long enough to buy himself some time, and couldn't help but smirk from a distance as he watched the idiot battle with a dense cloud of sakura petals. Fortunately, this idiocy gave Zoisite all the precious seconds he needed to locate the crystal, and he appeared before it in a flash of rose-colored petals. That damned cat of Sailormoon's ran after him, but Zoisite was in a bad enough mood to deal with it and ruthlessly backhanded the thing to get her out of the way.  
  
However, now, as he teleported achingly into the castle he and Kunzite shared, he was fairly sure that stupid thing had bit him as he knocked her aside.  
  
Zoiste rubbed his backside, sore from sitting on a carousel pony for over an hour while he waited for the opportune moment to attack, as he walked into the bathroom and slowly peeled off his glove. Sure enough, there was a rent in the white fabric, and back of his hand was scraped and bleeding from the bite. He cursed under his breath as he tugged the other glove off, from the hand Kamen had struck. The knuckles were purple, already bruising, and with Zoisite's fair and delicate skin, it was bound to get worse.  
  
It just wasn't FAIR. Zoisite pouted as he threw the pair of gloves into the bin. Only days before, that stupid Tuxedo Kamen had stolen the crystal he'd worked so hard to obtain, even descending into the Tokyo sewer system to get it. And then, just when he was all smelly and ready to go home, stupid Kamen appeared out of nowhere and hit him with one of his stupid roses. Always on the hands. His delicate, soft little hands that weren't made for such abuse, but rather to be loved and caressed and maybe sometimes to hurl fire and shards of ice at people who deserved it.  
  
Speaking of being loved and caressed, Zoisite noted sadly that Kunzite was nowhere to be seen, and Zoisite desperately needed someone to console him after all these long days at work. Angrily, he glared at his torn gloves in the bottom of the bin, and with a furious swipe of his foot, he kicked the bin.  
  
And stubbed his toes.  
  
Zoisite couldn't help it; he let out a howl that was rather pitiful, and for a minute he was almost thankful that Kunzite wasn't around because he wouldn't want to look pitiful in front of Kunzaito-sama.  
  
Still ... it hurt that Kunzite wasn't there to comfort him.  
  
Zoisite heaved a tiny sigh and drew a bath for himself. As the hot water steamed up the bathroom, he gingerly removed his uniform and boots, reflecting that the lack of sleep and the amount of strain he had been under had made him much more sore than he was used to being. He dumped some fragrant bath salts into the water and eased himself into the tub. The salty liquid stung the cuts on his hand, and he would have cursed about it, but suddenly found himself too tired to care. He tiredly rested his chin on his chest and flicked the toes of his unstubbed foot at the faucet handle, to stop the water.  
  
It was a good half hour before Zoisite found the energy to pull himself out of the tub. By that time the water had started getting fairly chilly, but his skin felt soft from the soapy bathwater and he patted himself tenderly with a towel while the water drained. Had to keep his skin pretty and smooth for Kunzaito-sama, he thought as he dried his legs and feet, his golden curls falling around his face and clinging damply to his cheeks.  
  
Kunzaito-sama who wasn't even here.  
  
Zoisite sadly hung up his towel as he slipped into a silken nightgown. He felt the beginnings of tears welling up in his eyes. He stared blankly into the mirror and thought he looked small and sad, and that probably no one in the whole world loved him, and he was all alone with aching knuckles and toes and ugly scratches on his pretty hand, but no, no one cared about poor little Zoisite.   
  
He sniffled.  
  
At least I look pretty, he thought, twisting a damp curl around his fingertip for the sole purpose of watching it spring back against his ear. He fluffed out his long hair, allowing it to wave gently around his face, and he really thought he looked quite nice, even though his eyes were kind of puffy from fatigue and crying. He gave one more tiny sigh to his mirrored self and left the bathroom.  
  
He shuffled sleepily and sadly into the bedroom he shared with Kunzite, and to his great surprise he saw the older man sitting at his desk, shuffling though papers and writing down notes. Kunzite's head snapped up at Zoisite's entrance, taking in the little man.  
  
Zoisite immediately straightened himself back up and hurriedly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, trying his very best not to look like he'd just been crying. "Kunzaito-sama. I didn't know you were home," he said, trying to keep his face impassive and his voice level, something Kunzite excelled at but that Zoisite could never personally manage.  
  
Kunzite smiled fondly at him.  
  
"Bad day?"  
  
Zoisite instantly dropped all pretense. His lip jutted out in a pout as he stamped his foot (favoring the stubbed one). "Oh, Kunzaito-sama, it was just AWFUL. Those rotten senshi are so irritating, they get by on nothing but sheer luck while I'm standing there racking my brains to come up with new plans on the spot. And that stupid Tuxedo Kamen hurt my hand, and that damned cat bit me, and she ruined my new glove, and then I came home and I stubbed my toe! And I just want to go to bed and not get up."  
  
Kunzite simply nodded before pushing aside his work. In two quick strides, he was right in front of Zoisite, pulling the boy into a tender embrace.  
  
Zoisite's muscles relaxed momentarily before anger surged through him once more. He pushed himself back from Kunzite's chest and glared up at him. "And I came home and you weren't even here!" he said indignantly.  
  
Kunzite just chuckled and kissed Zoisite on the forehead. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" he murmured.  
  
"Yeah ..." Zoisite said absently. Kunzite had a way of making him forget why he had been angry. He relaxed once again and snuggled himself into Kunzite's arms. "But you're busy," he pouted, tracing his fingers through the hollow of Kunzite's throat, "You have all your work to do."  
  
Kunzite kissed Zoisite's forehead once again. "Work? With this beautiful creature in front of me? I think I would be a fool to go on working under these circumstances. Surely my young student is not accusing me of being a foolish instructor?"  
  
Zoisite giggled happily and flung his arms around Kunzite's neck. "No, Kunzaito-sama, I don't think you're foolish at all."  
  
The silvered king smiled before lightly picking the boy up and cradling him in his arms. "Well then," he said, pausing to kiss him gently on the lips. "Let the lessons begin." 


End file.
